The "Cotton Candy" in Your Lawn is Called Pink Patch

(Lucky identified some pink patch today! She even resisted the urge to eat it. Good girl!)

If you look closely at the images above, you will notice tiny pink balls of cotton candy-looking growths on some yellow grass. I've never tasted it, but I doubt it tastes like cotton candy. It is a fungal disease called pink patch.

Pink Patch is common during wet, rainy periods in spring and early summer when it is between 65-75 degrees Fahrenheit. It is usually found in conjunction with another very common lawn disease called Red Thread. It is called Red Thread because you will find tiny red hairs growing out of your grass blades when this disease is present. Red hairs? Pink cotton candy-like growths? It's a cool, colorful, but weird world down there in the lawn. It's too bad these diseases turn the lawn yellow, as well...

So how does one get rid of Pink Patch? You could try putting on more fertilizer, but then you risk putting on too much, which leads to other fungal diseases down the road. Make sure you are not overwatering the area and let a professional lawn care specialist decide whether or not the area needs more fertilizer. With this fungal disease, it may be best to just wait a few weeks for the turf to heal itself. Fungicide treatments are only needed in rare cases where the turf is not recovering after several weeks.

So, if you find Pink Patch on your lawn, don't fret too much. Like Red Thread, Pink Patch is a fungal disease that typically goes away on its own within a few weeks as the climate changes. Have a question about disease or infestation in your lawn? Give Weed Wrangler a call or text today at 920-880-3956 and we'll help you out!